The animals are fun, the characters are likeable, and the movie has a nice subtle message for kids. And boy, has Pratt grown up since Dolittle 2 (shown).
That's so not Raven.
"Nice" siblings everywhere, take heart. When the Dolittle franchise went for a third installment without the doctor, it wasn't the rebellious daughter who got the call to star in "Dr. Dolittle: Tail to the Chief," a direct-to-video sequel. It was the perky obedient one.
So Charisse (Raven Symoné) was out, and Maya (Kyla Pratt) was in. That's just the direction the studio apparently wanted to go, because this third "Dr. Dolittle" is also by far the most family-friendly--the least crammed with attitude and humor involving bodily functions. And really, I've had it up to hear (pun intended) with attitude and marathon burps and farts. Having to sit through that sort of "humor" was almost as painful as watching a comedian I thoroughly admired mire himself in yet another lackluster film. So mercifully, the doctor is not in, and in fact, aside from Pratt, everyone involved with the first two films is nowhere to be seen.
That turns out to be a real positive. Pratt is warm and likable in the lead role, and seldom-used director Craig Shapiro, who began his career with a TV show about a dog and a boy ("Breakfast with Einstein," 1998), does a fine job of handling the animals so that they remain more cute than annoying or overly dominant. It's a sweeter film by far than the first two, and though the plot is obviously geared toward the 'tweens age bracket, there's enough here to appeal to younger (and possibly older) family members as well. I say "possibly" because that all depends on what you want from a family movie. If it's something geared for children that adults can watch with them and not be bored out of their skulls or worried about the content, then I think this one comes close to filling the prescription. I won't go so far as to say that the humor is particularly clever, but at least it's not coarse, raunchy, or so dumb that you feel like you've been duped into watching stupid pet tricks, and nothing more.
In fact, the dumbest thing about this film is the initial premise. Maya's dream is to become a veterinarian like the father she adores, and we're first introduced to her as she shows up for her admissions interview and "tests" at the Dolittle School of Veterinary Science. What? You mean to tell me that Daddy donates the money to construct a building and a program at a major university, and his daughter isn't a shoe-in? Have the writers never heard of "legacies"?
Then again, if it was all that simple, this would have been a totally different movie that would have come closer to other low-IQ college comedies like "Back to School." This way, it's not about Maya trying to make it in college. It's about something infinitely more interesting: Maya trying to treat the President's dog.
Huh?
You heard me. But as far-fetched as it sounds, once you get past the illogical legacy thing and the fact that the President's Secret Servicemen want Dr. Dolittle to solve a canine crisis but quickly settle for the doctor's daughter (without a background check?), the movie pleasantly glides along. It turns out that being able to talk to animals is hereditary, and Maya has her father's gift but with much more patience and understanding. She's a nice kid that you find yourself rooting for from the very beginning. So what does the President want with her? The first dog has been acting up, and we're not just talking about pee on the rug or chewed up slippers. This doggie is trashing whole rooms at the presidential retreat, where the Commander-in-Chief is soon to host a delegation to clinch a very important deal. The President (believably played by Peter Coyote) is hoping that a heart-to-heart talk with this wannabe veterinarian/therapist will do the trick.
There's not much surprise here. It's a feel-good film that you know is structured so that Maya can prove herself and get the ultimate letter of recommendation that would help her break down that admissions door. But the characters in "Dr. Dolittle: Tail to the Chief" are likeable and there's just enough plot to make the film entertaining. This film has a few other things going for it. For one thing, it's an advocacy film that isn't preachy. It feels like a natural, matter-of-fact outgrowth of the plot that the focus is on endangered species and global decisions that would favor ecological sustinance. A message like this at the film's core comes across far better than it did in the sillier "Dr. Dolittle 2." Romance-minded 'tweens will be satisfied by a romantic sideplot involving Maya and a Secret Service bodyguard assigned to protect the president's daughter (Elise Gatien), while parents will appreciate that the budding relationship is as wholesome and innocent as can be, and that they retrieve the president's daughter from a party where the message is clearly stay away from such alcohol-fueled open houses. And it's all done so gracefully that parents won't even have to worry about younger children being exposed to things prematurely.
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